Elias Smith Dennis (December 4, 1812 – December 17, 1894) was a politician and soldier from the state of

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

who served as a

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

Early life and career

Dennis was born in

Newburgh, New York Newburgh is a city in the U.S. state of New York, within Orange County. With a population of 28,856 as of the 2020 census, it is a principal city of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown metropolitan area. Located north of New York City, a ...

, and grew up on

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

. He moved to

Carlyle, Illinois Carlyle is a city in Clinton County, Illinois, United States. The population was 3,253 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Clinton County. Carlyle is located approximately east of St. Louis, Missouri, and is home to Illinois' largest ...

, in 1836. He married Mary Kain Slade, widow of Illinois

Congressman A Member of Congress (MOC) is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The term member of parliament (MP) is an equivalen ...

Charles Slade. Charles Slades´ three sons would become Dennis' stepsons. William Slade fought as a lieutenant in the U.S. Mexican War; Charles Slade, who married one of Sidney Breese's daughters, died in war and

Jack Slade Joseph Alfred "Jack" Slade, (January 22, 1831 – March 10, 1864), was a stagecoach and Pony Express superintendent, instrumental in the opening of the American West and the archetype of the Western gunslinger. Born in Carlyle, Illinois, he w ...

was a famous gunfighter who was hung by Montana vigilanties in 1864. Elias S Dennis had one son with Mary, Elias S. Dennis Jr. Dennis served in the

Illinois House of Representatives The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the current constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 re ...

from 1842 to 1844 and was an

Illinois State Senator The Illinois Senate is the upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the State of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. Under the I ...

from 1846 to 1848. Elias was appointed Kansas Territory Marshal for the Leavenworth, Kansas area March 12, 1857 by President Buchanan. The announcement of his appointment was published in "The New York Herald" New York, NY May 11, 1857 pg. 8, col B. .........". In politics he has always been an unwavering national democrat. In person he is rather tall, well made, with dark hair, and a most determined cast of countenance; he speaks but little, but is kind, though rather reserved in his manner. Mr. Dennis did not seek the office which he now holds, in fact, the first intimation that he had of his appointment was through the medium of a telegraphic dispatch from a Western member of Congress in Washington, announcing the fact. We believe him to have a sincere desire to do his duty and so long as he continues a conservative, will have our best wishes for his success." Elias was dismissed from his duties as the Kansas Territory Marshal March 1, 1858. "The New York Herald" New York, NY Apr 17, 1858; p. 8, col 3. "When Senator Douglas ascertained that Dennis had been dismissed because he had testified against the Border Ruffian frauds, he moved & reconsideration of the vote of confirmation. Oligarchic Senators said no! never ! and Free State serviles submitted. The Senate voted 27 for—20 against Douglas's motion. Mr. Dennis is a Democrat, and his sole offence was telling the truth before the investigation committee of the Territorial Legislature. He has, however, only me the fate of all the Democrats sent to Kansas, who have flinched, in the slightest degree, in upholding the rascalities of the Pro-Slavery party.

Civil War service

When the war began, Dennis was selected as the

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

of the 30th Illinois Infantry. He participated in the capture of

Fort Donelson Fort Donelson was a fortress built early in 1862 by the Confederacy during the American Civil War to control the Cumberland River, which led to the heart of Tennessee, and thereby the Confederacy. The fort was named after Confederate general Da ...

, Tennessee. He was promoted to

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

in May 1862 and to brigadier general in November 1862, commanding a brigade of infantry in the

Army of the Tennessee An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

. During the 1863

Vicksburg Campaign The Vicksburg campaign was a series of maneuvers and battles in the Western Theater of the American Civil War directed against Vicksburg, Mississippi, a fortress city that dominated the last Confederate-controlled section of the Mississippi Riv ...

, he was accused of selling army provisions to the Confederates near Vicksburg while his own men were underfed. In April 1863, he fought in the

Battle of Port Gibson The Battle of Port Gibson was fought near Port Gibson, Mississippi, on May 1, 1863, between Union and Confederate forces during the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War. The Union Army was led by Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, and was victo ...

and in May 1863, at the

Battle of Raymond The Battle of Raymond was fought on May 12, 1863, near Raymond, Mississippi, during the Vicksburg campaign of the American Civil War. Initial Union (American Civil War), Union attempts to capture the strategically important Mississippi River cit ...

. Later in May, he was placed in command of the District of Northeast Louisiana when guerillas were causing problems on the leased plantations there. Troops from his command participated in the

Battle of Milliken's Bend The Battle of Milliken's Bend was fought on June 7, 1863, as part of the Vicksburg Campaign during the American Civil War. Major General (United States), Major General Ulysses S. Grant of the Union Army had placed the strategic Mississippi Rive ...

in June, one of the first battles to involve

United States Colored Troops The United States Colored Troops (USCT) were regiments in the United States Army composed primarily of African-American (colored) soldiers, although members of other minority groups also served within the units. They were first recruited during ...

. He served as the commanding officer of the Union

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

in Louisiana until the end of the war. Dennis was mustered out of the volunteer army on August 24, 1865. On January 13, 1866, President

Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. He assumed the presidency as he was vice president at the time of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a Dem ...

nominated Dennis to receive the brevet grade of

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

, to rank from April 13, 1865, and the U.S. Senate confirmed the nomination on March 12, 1866.

Postbellum career

He was a parish judge and sheriff in

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

after the war. Mary Slade Dennis was granted a divorce from Elias Dennis 14 November 1871 (Mary died 15 January 1873). On June 7, 1875, Elias married Mrs. Mary A, McFarland of Madison Parish, who owned a

plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...

. Dennis moved back to Carlyle, Illinois, in March 1887 and lived on a small farm with his son Elias Jr. He died from

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

in 1894 and was buried in the City Cemetery. A bronze bust of Dennis was erected in 1915 on the

Vicksburg National Military Park Vicksburg National Military Park preserves the site of the American Civil War Battle of Vicksburg, waged from March 29 to July 4, 1863. The park, located in Vicksburg, Mississippi (flanking the Mississippi River), also commemorates the greater ...

.Dennis statue
Retrieved 2008-11-04.

Early life and career

Civil War service

Postbellum career

See also

References

Further reading